Appeals to authority

[Alan Watson <atw@hep.ph.bham.ac.uk>]

Ken Kinman wrote:

> The Thecodontia has no doubt been recognized longer than you have been 
> alive, by some very brilliant biologists.

I don't have the background to make a useful contribution to the rights and 
wrongs of the Thecodontia, but if this is meant as an argument in favour of 
acceptance then it is suprising - surely evolutionary biologists, of all 
people, 
should not be using an appeal to authority to defend a position?

Of course, if Ken just meant "accepting the Thecodontia isn't a sign of 
stupidity" then it's a perfectly fair point :-)

Alan